Vegetable washing machine



June 6, 1950 A. LlLLEvlcK 2,510,826

" VEGETABLE WASHING MACHINE Filed May fr, 1948 2 snets-sheet 1 d a 2.@ FIG. l. 0v

June 6, 1950 A. LILLEVICK 2,510,826

VEGETABLE WASHING MACHINE l Filed May 7, 194s 2 sheets-sheet 2 a 5 f F46. 4

oo o /e /f oo l' I z c 53|' v I I /W JF /4 atentec .une 6A, .195() UNITED i STA-'rs VEGETABLE WASHING MACHINE Arne Lillevck, Dundas, Ontario, Canada Application May 7, 1948, Serial No. 25,570

4 claims. (ol. 51e- 164) This invention relates to machines for washing vegetables in loose bulk form, such as carrots, parsnips, turnips,`beets, potatoes, or the like. The machine might also be used for polishing onions, and for other purposes.

Stated generally, the object of the invention is to provide a vegetable washing machine of the kind referred to, the saine including a semicylindrical water tank suitably mounted and supported on end plates, an agitator and shower drum rotatably journaled endwise through the water-tank, said drum being of tubular construction and the tubes thereof being perforated to permit water to enter therein as the rotating drum passes downward through the water of the tank, and to spray and shower water therefrom.' as the rotating drum again elevates them, means" for running' water through the tank, means for feeding vegetables into the tubular drum, separate means for discharging the vegetables from' the drum after they are washed, and means for rotating the drum.

Stated more particularly, the object of the invention is to provide in a relatively simple and practicable form, a machine of the kind referred to, the same including anelongated, semi-cylindrical water-tank supported upon legs as depended from end plates, the said tank being constructed of metal or other suitable material, an axle-shaft extended along through the watertank in concentric alignment therewith, and journaled at its ends in the said end-plates, a cylindrical agitator drum or frame supported rigidly and concentrcally upon the said axle-shaft to rotatev therewith, the said drum being formed of a plurality oftubes extended longitudinally of the tank and supported at their ends in close'` and-parallel but open and equi-spaced relation,"

between end rings rigidly and concentrically encircling the ends of the axle-shaft, within the said water-tank, the said tubes being closed at their ends but perforated along their-.inner sides,- a-receiving chuteslopingly mounted through one. end or tha-outer housing and leading into the.

water-tankl and agitator drum, a vslopingV discharge chute leading from the opposite end of the agitator drum and water-'tank and extended out through the end plate, the same being located above the bottom and at one vside of thev said drum and tank, a door in the end plate for closing the discharge chute, means for diverting. vegetables into the discharge chute as they pass through. the machine from the receiving chute,` means if for :running'lwater into the .water-tank'.

and kdischarging same 2` Y therefrom, and means for rotating the agitator drum.

With the stated objects in View, together with such additional objects and advantages as may appear from the specification, attention is now directed tothe accompanying drawing as illustrating a preferred form of the machine, and wherein Figure -1 is a side elevational view of the washing machine.V Y

Y'Figure 2 is a top plan view ofthe machine.

Figure 3 is a frontal end View of the machine.

Figure 4 is a fragmental detail view in plan and on an enlarged scale, showing the construction and arrangement of the power unit mounted at theV rear end of the machine for operating the machine; Y

. Figure 5 is asimilar vfragmental detail view of the rear end of the machine, showing the discharge chute and door, and a section of the tube supporting lor drum ring.

Figure 6 is a similar iragmental detail View, in elevation, showing the construction and arrangement oi' the power unit for operating theA machine.

In its preferred form of construction as shownl in the drawings, the vegetable washing machine comprises ia suitable elongated, semi-circular 'wa-- ter-tank shown generally atv 5, supported upon legsv 5a depended from end plates 5b and bracedas at''c; The tank is left open at its upper side as .at 5f. The tank 5 is indicated in broken lines in Figure 6, the open side 5f of this tank beingl with the'sem-cylindrical walls ofthe tank, said'. shaft being journaled at its ends through the end" plates 5b of the tank, as indicated at la in Figures 2 and 3.

` An open ended agitator and shower drum 8 of cylindrical formation and tubular construction is mounted rigidly and concentrically upon the axle-shaft 'i tov -rotate therewith. This drum eo'mprisesa pluralityiof tubes 8a apertured [as at 8b length-wise along their inner sides facing the axle-shaft 7. These tubes 8a are closed at their ends and are seated thereat in close :and parallel` keyed upon the axle-shaft 'I in substantial spaced relation from the ends thereof, so as not to interfere with the operation of the machine and in particular with the discharge of vegetables therefrom after they are washed. These hubs include as here shown three angularly spaced spoke socket members Sb, equally spaced apart and which are bored and tapped axially to engage the inner and eomplementally threaded ends of spokes 9c which extend radially out to the tubes 8a and are tapered thereat to engage thim'bles 9d adapted to pass between pairs of adjacent tubes, as indicated in 1Eigure 6. The thimbles 9d spread laterally as at 9e immediately back ofy the tapered outer extremities thereof, for laterally abutting the tubes 8a and preventing the spokes from penetrating too far between 'they tubes. A pair of lock-rings or hoops lll are iinally mounted outwardly over the ends of the tubular drum S immediately over the spokes 9c and are contracted and ldrawn `down to placethereon, for iirmly locking the drum and spiders together.

A Vegetable feed chute H is anchored by Welding or otherwise centrally to the upper margin ofthe front end plate 5b, and this chute opens downwardly and inwardly through the front end plate 5b into the cylindrical and tubular `drum 8, the bottom of the chute being sloped down as shown and being pierced through with a series l of transversely elongated slots l la for permitting dirt .and .particles of other Aforeign matter -to fall therethrough. A vegetable discharge chute 'l2 is similarly anchored upon and extended through the rear end plate 5b, the outer end Athereof being sloped downwardly as shown .for ylischarging vegetables from the machine after they Yare washed. l'ihis chute i2 is located upwardly at one side of the end of the tank, and angularly above the bottom thereof 'about ninety degrees, and opens into the drum '8 through a hinged and latched door ign, The bottom of this chute is Valso transversely slotted as at l2b, to permit foreign matter to iall therethrough, Aas vegetables. pass downwardly through the chute from the' drum 8 in `manner later explained. A pair of vegetable ejector paddles i3 are mounted angularly and diametrically oppostely within the rear or discharge end of the drum e, these paddles being anchored to the tubes 8 by welding or otherwise. The paddles it extend 'diametrically inward but the planes of the paddles are turned. slanted 'or sloped angularly in a longitudinal dirrecticn, such manner that as the `drum s ro'- tates in a counter-clockwise direct-ion (looking towards the rear end of. the machine, or as indicatedv by the arrows in Figures Sand 6) the paddles will alternately scoop up a portion 'of' the vegetables from the bottom of th'e drum and raise and discharge them through the door lic (when this door is open) and into the chute. l2. InA other; words, the slant or slope of the paddles as they rise into alignment with the discharge chute corresponds with and forms a continuation of the slant or Vslope kci the chute, for the pur'- lOe ci picking up and discharging vegetables as washed and passed through the Vmach-ine.

For rotating the drum s, a pinion shaft i4 journaled laterally as at idc into a small house ing i5 upwardly extended from the rear end plate,`

a small five-toothed pinion sprocket wheel crceg-wheel t6 (Figures 4, 6)- is keyed upc-n the inner end ofthe shaft is, withinv the housing and the teeth of the cog-wheelare arranged to intermesh with and traverse a series of holes 8c (Figure 6) formed in equi-spaced relation through the rear end ring 8b of the drum 8. A pulley wheel Il is rigidly keyed as at lla upon the outer end of the shaft I4, for engaging a power transmission belt (not shown) as extended from a motor (not shown) for operating the machine. A water inlet cock i8 is mounted through the lower side of the frontal end plate 5b and leads into the water tank 5, and to Which a hose may be connected for running water into the tank. A drain plug i9 is mounted through .the bottom of the opposite rear end of the Water tank. A water level control pipe 20 (Figures 1 land. Z) is extended laterally from the outer stem of a pipe elbow Zc, the other stem thereof being journaled horizontally through the base of the rear end plate 5b of the tank 5, as indicated at slib, and leads into the Water tank 5. By these arrangements water may be fed into the water tank, or drained therefrom as desired, and the 'height of Athe water within the ltank may be regulated by raising or lowering the pipe 20. When the water inthe tank attains va-,height equal to the elevation of the outer end of the pipe 20, any additional water entering the 'tank 'will flow out through the pipe 2li. Thus water may be kept constantly flowing through the tank if so desired.

n the operation andv use ci the machine as described, the chute `door l2a is Erst closed, water is then lled intoV the water tank 5 to the required vlevel in the manner pointed out. The power being then turned on for rotating the drum E in the required direction, vegetables to be washed are fed through Ythe chute ii into the open front end oi the drum 8. The tubular and apertured drum rotates and tumbles the vegetables about and at the Same time the apertured tubes of the drum nill with water whiley passing down through the water tank, and on rising again they shower this water down upon the tumbling vegetables, thus t. oroughly washing and cleaning them as they pass rearward through the machine towards the discharge .chute i2. When the vegetables reach the rear end or" the vmachine and after they have been suiiciently tumbled and showered, vthe chutedoor ld is opened, and the paddles i3 then pick up the vegetables in successive small quantities and elevate them into alignment with the chute 2, intov which chute they slide by gravity and fall into a receptacle placed below the chute for reoeving them. ln the upward travel of the vegetables as carried on the Apaddles l, they are retained on the paddles until they reach the discharge chute l2, by the rear end plate 5b of the housing 5. fdesired, the front end of the machine may be raised a little relative to the rear end, this inclination, through the operation of gravity, serving to expedite the travel of the vegetables Vthrough the machine.

While I have here shown and described a preferred form and embodiment of the machine, and specinc structural features thereof', the described construction may be changed and mod-ined desired, within the scope 'oi the claims.

l claim: Y

Vl a machine ci the sind referred to, the same inclu g elongated, semi-cylindrical tank supported pon end plates and legs, and with its open side'turned upwardly, an axle-shaft extended along 'through the 'water-tank in concentric alignment therewith, and `journaled at its ends in the saidr encbplates, a cylindrical agitator drum or frame supported rigidly and con/cen'- trically upon the said axle-shaft to rotate therewith, the said drum being formed of a plurality of tubes extended longitudinally of the tank and supported at their ends in Close and parallel but open and equi-spaced relation between end rings rigidly and concentrically encircling the ends of the axle-shaft, within the said Water tank, the said tubes being closed at their ends but pere forated along their inner sides, a receiving chute slopingly mounted through one end plate and f leading into the water-tank and agitator drum, a sloping discharge chute leading from the opposite end plate of the water-tank, the same being located above the bottom and at one side of the said drum and tank, a door for closing the discharge chute, means for diverting vegetables into the discharge chute as they pass through the machine from the receiving chute, means for running water into the Water-tank and discharging same therefrom, and means for rotating the for gravitational passage down and out through the chute when the chute door is open.

3. In a machine according to claim 1, the said means for rotating the agitator drum comprising a pinion shaft journaled upwardly upon the rear end plate of the tank and extended laterally and horizontally to one side thereof, a pinion sprocket wheel keyed upon the inner end of the pinion shaft and placed in mesh with the series of holes formed'in equi-spaced relation through the rear end ring of the agitator drum, and a pulley wheel keyed upon the outer end of the pinion shaft for receiving power through a transmission belt.

4. In a machine according to claim 1, the said receiving and discharge chutes at the ends of the housing being slotted for permitting dirt and particles of matter to fall therethrough.

ARNE LILLEVICK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: Y

UNTED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,648,823 Randall et al. Nov. 8, 1927 1,806,957 Stocking May 26, 1931 1,824,814k Frine Sept. 29, 1931 

